St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-04-22
EIGHT HOURS.
The Special Committee will Report
in Their Favor.

There was quite gathering of citizens in
the council chamber yesterday morning to
listen to the discussion of the eight hour
system in the public works, which has been
brought before the committee by Aid. Glib
sons motion. Aid. L'Herault presided
and after the reading of the resolution and
the petition of the Trades and Labor assem-
bly,, the city attorney. by the request of
Aid. Cloutier. gave his opinion as to the
legality of the enforcement of the eight
hour law. which in effect was that while
the city can fix the hours of
work and the pay of the employees, and can
require that such employees shall have lived
in the city certain length of time, it can
not dictate to contractors and compel them
to live up the same requirements. Aid
Gibson moved to amend by striking out the
clause relating to contractors, and Aid.
Clark moved to strike out the entire resou-
ton, but this was lost. Aid. McArdle then
submitted a substitute to the effect that all
work done by the day shall be performed in
accordance with the eight-hour system,
with S1.50 per day as the minimum wages.
Mai. j. B. BaSsett at this point addressed
the committee. He thought as representa-
tiyes Of the city the aldermen should not
pay more than market rates for labor or
anything else. The same rule which governs
private business should regulate the city'S.
The consumers who pay the city's taxes will
now be compelled to work harder that these
few men shall work less. Besides. the
cost of production is increased and all addi-
tional burden placed upon workingmen
who are not employed by he.ctizens.
Capt. o. c. Merriman said he was not
there as ''workingman's friend He
thought the eight-hour movement was a
deliberate, willful and premeditated scheme
to rob the taxpayers. He thought that if
the city council should establish the prece-
dent proposed. that the effect would be to
kill the Industries of Minneapolis He
wanted that the money of the city should
not be squandered in this way.
Aid. Gibson, said in reply to this last
point that the Democrats in the council
were in favor of paying S1.5O per eight
hours and the Republicans S1.75 for ten
hours. There was no difference in the cost
to the taxpayers.
Thomas II. Lucas, from the Trade and
Labor assembly, here gained the floor and
made very vigorous address in favor of
eight hours. He said that Maj. Bassett was
in error in asserting that the consumers pay
the taxes. 1t is the producers who pay and
the working men are the producers.
Then they must be rObbing themselves,
according to Basset's logic. He thought it
ridiculous that whenever any measure for
the benefit of the workingmen was pro-
posed, the friends of labor always OPP
posed it. Labor now is in about the same
condition as during the days of slavery. The
difference now is that the slaves formerly
were made to feel the lash. Now men are
given machinery in lumber factories
which compels them to work con-
tinuously or run the risk of be-
ng cut in two. Supply and demand
have been made to regulate the labor mar
ket-yes, when the capitalists have glutted
the market by importations of foreigners,
and then fixed the prices they would pay
At the close OF Mr.. Lucas remarks a vote
was taken upon McArdle's substitute,
which was carried by a vote of to 4, Aid.
Clark having left the meeting.
The section requiring that a man en-
plOyed by the city must be resident for
six months was read, and was amended
by Aid. Cloutier so as to read that men
who have lived in the city six months shall
be given the preference. Aid. Lawrence
finally amended by striking out the entire
clause and this prevailed. The question
of how often the men shall be paid was